In professional sports, referees play an important role. The job of the black kings is to ensure fairness in each match, including penalties to deter players from misbehaving.
However, referees are also human and make mistakes. But rarely do black-shirted kings change their decisions. However, the players still constantly complain to the referees because of the decisions that have been made. In the NBA, when collisions between players occur frequently, players often put pressure on the referee.
Russell Westbrook
Westbrook possesses a direct playing style, not afraid of collision. Therefore, he often collides with the opponent’s defensive players, and the referee does not always side with the LA Clippers player. And after each time, Westbrook did not hesitate to follow along to discuss with the referee.
Westbrook once admitted that it is difficult for referees to change decisions that have been made. But the former OKC Thunder star still keeps complaining every time the referees make decisions that don’t agree with him.
Devin Booker
Booker has improved dramatically in recent seasons, becoming one of the NBA’s top scorers. Along with the improvement in skills, the frequency of Booker complaining to the referee also increased. He even complained to the referees because little things like the dancing Toronto Raptors mascot distracted him.
Kyle Lowry
Since his days playing with the Toronto Raptors, Lowry is famous for being a player who often gives opinions to referees. Moving to the Miami Heat, Lowry still did not give up his old habits. He had to receive technical fouls many times for reacting to the referees.
James Harden
Harden used to be one of the best scorers in the NBA with a unique foul play style. He used to get about 20 free throws per game. Because he is always on the line between fouling and not fouling, Harden often puts pressure on the referees to gain an advantage.
Harden’s playing style and constant complaints forced the NBA to change the rules in 2021 to limit this star. Nowadays, Harden no longer plays fouls like before, but he is always ready to argue if the referees make a decision that does not agree with him.
Anthony Edwards
Edwards is a talented player but also has many flaws. Besides the controversy over nutrition, the Minnesota Timberwolves star is also a hot-tempered player. Edwards easily gets angry at the referee’s decisions. He often complained to the referees asking for more free throws.
Kevin Durant
Durant possesses the most comprehensive scoring skill set in the league. Therefore, to block the 34-year-old star, making mistakes is difficult to avoid. However, the referees do not always call fouls on the defensive players, and in such times Durant does not hesitate to divide with the black-shirted kings.
In 2018, Durant was fined $15,000 for criticizing the referee during a game against the Knicks. He also ranked in the top of those who committed the most technical fouls in the 2017-2018 season. To this day, Durant still regularly uses Twitter to criticize the referee’s decisions.
Dillon Brooks
Brooks is one of the players who complained to the referee the most in recent seasons. This season Brooks was given a technical foul 14 times, the second most in the NBA. Most of that is because of the harsh reaction to the referee’s decisions.
Draymond Green
Green is one of the most annoying players for referees. The Warriors star always puts pressure on the referees, ready to judge in any situation. Many times Green caused the team difficulty because of technical errors, but that never stopped him from arguing with the referee.
This season, Green is the player with the most technical fouls in the NBA with 15 times. The image of Green surrounding the referee in every match has become familiar throughout the career of the four-time NBA champion.
Luka Doncic
Doncic is a top talent in the league, he brings a different and unstoppable brand of basketball. To stop the Slovenian star, fouls and tricks are required. This makes Doncic frustrated. He continuously commented with the referees even after the situation ended. The frequency of Doncic’s complaints to referees has increased year by year.
LeBron James
Similar to Doncic, James tends to complain a lot if the referee ignores situations in his favor. Many times the Lakers star spent time arguing with the referee instead of running back to support the defense. James also reacted very strongly when the referees made unfavorable decisions.
The 38-year-old star once declared: “I’m the one who attacks the basket the most in the tournament, but while other players get 20 free throws per game, I don’t.” In recent seasons, when the Lakers encountered many difficulties, the image of James complaining to the referees became more and more common.
